Hello, my name is Keyeena. I am from the tribe Gandangara. I am originally from the cold regions, but moved to Australia ten years ago. I am 45 years old and have two children named Awan and Leuana. My oldest daughter Leuana, is 17 years old and her younger brother Awan, is 9 years old. I also have a husband, Bawe. Bawe is one of the hunters in our tribe. My roles in the tribe are making food for my people and to be a mother for my sweet children. My children love animals and there fore we have a little dog.
Aborigines are an indigenous people who moved to Australia and many of the islands in Oceania. Today there are about 460 000 Aborigines in Australia, divided over the whole country. Our tribe came to this land over 40 000 to 60 000 years ago. We are one of the world's oldest indigenous people. We lived in harmony with the nature through thousands of years, until James Cook and his men went ashore on the Australian continent in 1770. In the beginning Cook used Australia as a captive colony, a place where you led the people that was no longer wanted in Europe. The Aborigines were driven away from their land. A lot of the people in the tribe died because of different diseases.
The white population in Australia grew late the first 40 years after 1788. In the 1830’s Australia was considered as England’s property.
The men among us have as special dance. It’s called the Aborigines Mahaska. My husband is the head leader. This means that the other men don’t do anything before they get an order from him. My little boy Awan loves to see his father be a leader of the group. I think he is his role model. Maybe Awan can be as strong and wise as his father when he grows up. Leuana told me something yesterday that she wanted to find a husband and start a family and be just like me when she gets a little bit older. I liked hearing that very much, because it means a lot to me that she wants to be just like her mother.
My family lives a bit away from the other. We live at the same area, but since Bawe is the head leader of the dance, he demanded a little bit privacy and respect. I like to live private because then we can be a proper family with and without the tribe being there all the time. We have two tents. One we use to sleep in, and in the other one I make food and we wash up there. The tents are big and nice. Inside we have skin of reindeers. As I mentioned before in the text, I cook food for the tribe. I have been cooking food all my life and I really enjoy it.
The summer is soon ending and that means it’s getting colder. I love the summer. It is my favorite season. We can stay out all day without wondering when it’s going to be dark or cold. My boy, Awan really likes the summer. He thinks he is a butterfly when he runs around the area where we live, because he was born in the summer times. Luckily the winter is not very different from the summer. I always miss the cold winter I used to have, but it’s nice to have the warmth around all year long. I remember that we use to live in tents and hunted on cattle’s and reindeers.
In the winter the men hunts and kills the cattle. The skin we use as a carpet on the floor. And the reindeer’s skin we use to keep warm when the winter is cold. Those women who have children, gets a couple of extra skins to keep warm. They have a sort of rule in the tribe that it is only children under five years who get’s extra skins. This is because we can’t kill so many reindeers and the younger children have to keep their warmth. Us grownups manage to get better heat in us. If we had killed that many reindeers, they would have been eradicated. That is why we also kill cattle’s so either of the animals won’t be eradicated. Every winter a little group of boys takes part of the hunting. My Awan was one of these boys and he really enjoyed it, because he got to be with his father. They usually hunt in the mountains above our camp.
After every hunt the hunters come home with the reindeers the women are preparing for a huge meal. They stay up all night and really set a mark on the beginning of the winter. They also had horses, which are a part of the hunt, but only in the summer. The horses don’t have as strong legs to cope the harsh winter there. The harsh environment makes it hard for the horses hoof and can easily break. I am glad that that is not a problem here.
My children have their own horses. They use them to ride in their spare time and to work when they need them to. It’s very practical to have a horse here in Australia because it’s so open and flat. They are great help and faithful pets that never fail. I don’t have a horse because I don’t need to ride out on the fields or need them to hunt. I just cook. But my children and I usually take them for a ride just for the sake of happiness.
As I said before I miss it sometimes and I wish I could go back there, but I am very happy here in our tribe and with my family. I hope you have a glimpse into how we live and have it. This is my life and I am very thankful for my beautiful children and our unique landscape.
Keyeena, the cook in our tribe
Hello, my name is Keyeena. I am from the tribe Gandangara. I am originally from the cold regions, but moved to Australia ten years ago. I am 45 years old and have two children named Awan and Leuana. My oldest daughter Leuana, is 17 years old and her younger brother Awan, is 9 years old. I also have a husband, Bawe. Bawe is one of the hunters in our tribe. My roles in the tribe are making food for my people and to be a mother for my sweet children. My children love animals and there fore we have a little dog.
Aborigines are an indigenous people who moved to Australia and many of the islands in Oceania. Today there are about 460 000 Aborigines in Australia, divided over the whole country. Our tribe came to this land over 40 000 to 60 000 years ago. We are one of the world's oldest indigenous people. We lived in harmony with the nature through thousands of years, until James Cook and his men went ashore on the Australian continent in 1770. In the beginning Cook used Australia as a captive colony, a place where you led the people that was no longer wanted in Europe. The Aborigines were driven away from their land. A lot of the people in the tribe died because of different diseases.
The white population in Australia grew late the first 40 years after 1788. In the 1830’s Australia was considered as England’s property.
The men among us have as special dance. It’s called the Aborigines Mahaska. My husband is the head leader. This means that the other men don’t do anything before they get an order from him. My little boy Awan loves to see his father be a leader of the group. I think he is his role model. Maybe Awan can be as strong and wise as his father when he grows up. Leuana told me something yesterday that she wanted to find a husband and start a family and be just like me when she gets a little bit older. I liked hearing that very much, because it means a lot to me that she wants to be just like her mother.
My family lives a bit away from the other. We live at the same area, but since Bawe is the head leader of the dance, he demanded a little bit privacy and respect. I like to live private because then we can be a proper family with and without the tribe being there all the time. We have two tents. One we use to sleep in, and in the other one I make food and we wash up there. The tents are big and nice. Inside we have skin of reindeers. As I mentioned before in the text, I cook food for the tribe. I have been cooking food all my life and I really enjoy it.
The summer is soon ending and that means it’s getting colder. I love the summer. It is my favorite season. We can stay out all day without wondering when it’s going to be dark or cold. My boy, Awan really likes the summer. He thinks he is a butterfly when he runs around the area where we live, because he was born in the summer times. Luckily the winter is not very different from the summer. I always miss the cold winter I used to have, but it’s nice to have the warmth around all year long. I remember that we use to live in tents and hunted on cattle’s and reindeers.
In the winter the men hunts and kills the cattle. The skin we use as a carpet on the floor. And the reindeer’s skin we use to keep warm when the winter is cold. Those women who have children, gets a couple of extra skins to keep warm. They have a sort of rule in the tribe that it is only children under five years who get’s extra skins. This is because we can’t kill so many reindeers and the younger children have to keep their warmth. Us grownups manage to get better heat in us. If we had killed that many reindeers, they would have been eradicated. That is why we also kill cattle’s so either of the animals won’t be eradicated. Every winter a little group of boys takes part of the hunting. My Awan was one of these boys and he really enjoyed it, because he got to be with his father. They usually hunt in the mountains above our camp.
After every hunt the hunters come home with the reindeers the women are preparing for a huge meal. They stay up all night and really set a mark on the beginning of the winter. They also had horses, which are a part of the hunt, but only in the summer. The horses don’t have as strong legs to cope the harsh winter there. The harsh environment makes it hard for the horses hoof and can easily break. I am glad that that is not a problem here.
My children have their own horses. They use them to ride in their spare time and to work when they need them to. It’s very practical to have a horse here in Australia because it’s so open and flat. They are great help and faithful pets that never fail. I don’t have a horse because I don’t need to ride out on the fields or need them to hunt. I just cook. But my children and I usually take them for a ride just for the sake of happiness.
As I said before I miss it sometimes and I wish I could go back there, but I am very happy here in our tribe and with my family. I hope you have a glimpse into how we live and have it. This is my life and I am very thankful for my beautiful children and our unique landscape.